UnderMafia
by JonTallented
Summary: The Underground: the walled in city of monsters, long segregated from the world of man. When one of man's own finds themselves in this new world governed by gangsters, they have to claw their way to the top to either make it back home, or make a new life among them.
1. 1:8

**1:8**

"Afternoon, Ms. Tori," a friendly voice greeted, "Could I get ya yer usual?"

The white furred, mature, monster was on her way home from her evening walk through the park, having been stopped by a familiar face. The neighborhood Nice Cream Man, making his usual rounds. The blue rabbit wore his happy go lucky smile across his face, as his hand was already reaching into his cart to retrieve one of the frozen treats. Ms. Tori (as she'd been called) considered his offer, an emptiness still present inside her from the small lunch she had earlier. However, that feeling also reminded her of exactly why her lunch was small, and she groaned internally.

"As good as that sounds -and trust me, that does sound good-, I'm afraid I'll have to pass today," she answered reluctantly, "I'm dieting." The expression on the blue rabbit's face never changed, as he nodded understandingly.

"Not a problem, ma'am," the Nice Cream Man responded, retracting his hand out of the cart, "Maybe some other time then? Enjoy the rest of yer evenin'."

"You as well." Ms. Tori returned, smiling warmly as she continued her journey. Though, it wasn't too long after that a loud growl of hungry erupted from her stomach. "You don't need it," she told herself, trying to resist the urge to turn back, "You don't need it." Another much louder growl came from her stomach, and she sighed in defeat. She stopped and turned back, finding the Nice Cream Man waiting in the same spot. "On second thought..."

"So much for saving a few bucks this month." Ms. Tori thought, rather disappointed in herself. She took a bite of her frozen treat, her mood immediately brightening from the deliciously sweet flavor. She glanced at the message that was printed on the wrapper, reading it to herself. "My day gets brighter whenever I see you!" If it weren't for the fur that covered her face, it'd be red as a rose. That message alone had made her content with her decision. "The frozen treat that makes you feel warm inside"; it certainly lived up to that motto.

She needed that kind of feeling every now and again, to lift her spirits in these depressing times. She was far from financially stable; her failing bookstore was a testament to that (as well as the cause). There weren't too many folk that'd venture to the Ruins to pay good money for the many pieces of classic literature that took up space on her shelves; especially when they can just as easily acquire a book at the library for none of the cost. She had lied before about being on a diet. She hated lying, but she was far too embarrassed to share her problems.

Eating is a necessity, but she didn't need to treat herself as much as she did. And she was good on that, except when it came to Nice Cream. She knew it wasn't the frozen snack itself or the kind message inside that made her so joyous, it was knowing that she was helping another struggling business like her own survive. She felt it harder on the young rabbit though, his business struggled no matter where the location. Pushing that cart all over the Underground, only to come up short of ends meet.

To compensate for her own lacking income, she had cut corners on other expenses in order to save a buck or two. Instead of a new wardrobe, she'd done a lot of self repairs and recycling. It'd been years since she had gone shopping for clothes, but she still managed to look her best with what she had. That day she was dressed comfortably in a yellow tank top, red skirt, and white sweater. You never would have guessed that any of it was ever fashioned from an old bed set.

She conserved on electricity by lighting her home with candles. In the winter, she used her fireplace to stay warm. She even went scrapping when times were desperate. In no way did she enjoy living her life like this, but she needed to survive. However, if the day ever came that her only option was to sell her body on the street, she'd surely rather die. No matter the cost, she would never give up her integrity.

"Howdy!"

The goat lady snapped out of her trance, seeking out the person who had addressed her. To her confusion though, there was no one around.

"You're new to the Underground, ain'tcha?" the voice from before asked. It almost seemed recognizable to her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. It sounded young and friendly, perhaps even belonging to a male. Her eyes followed the direction the voice came from, noticing a figure crouching down in an alleyway.

"Uh... yeah, actually," a different voice answered the other, also sounding young, but much more feminine.

"Now, Tori, it's not polite to listen in on other's conversa-" she had gone to scold herself, but was suddenly cut off by a sudden realization, "Wait, new?" Her ruby eyes lit up with a look of panic, as she continued to listen in on the two.

"I guess you could say I'm lost." the feminine voice explained, as Ms. Tori hid herself around the corner. The crouching figure stood upright, revealing a second figure who was kneeling on the ground. They were both noticeably short in stature, after the second had made it to their feet. The first was a yellow flower, who's face radiated cheerfulness. He was clothed in a lime green dress shirt, with a yellow bow tie around his neck. Suspenders and a belt held his brown dress pants up and around his slim waist. The black dress shoes on his feet were finely polished and without scuffs.

"Hey, don't sweat it, pal," the flower said, "I can help ya out." As the flower moved aside, Ms. Tori's face lit up with astonishment as she saw the second figure. A human.

A beautiful, young woman, with shoulder length, brunette, hair. Her skin was a light shade of tan, and seemed to be free of any kind of blemishes. Her slender (seemingly underdeveloped) body was clothed in a baggy, purple and blue striped, sweater dress, black tights, and Penny Loafers that had seen better days.

"Really?" she asked, a hopeful expression on her face, "You'd do that?"

"Sure thing," the flower answered, his hands in his pockets, "By the way, the name's Flowey. Flowey the Flower."

"It's lovely to meet you, Flowey," the girl responded with a warm smile, "I'm Frisk."

"Frisk, eh?" Flowey repeated, "Well, Frisk, there's a bus stop not too far from here. If ya hurry, ya might be able to catch the 5 o'clock." Frisk's smile faded into a frown.

"That'd certainly help, but I don't have any money." she explained.

"Not a problem!" Flowey assured, pulling a balled up leaf hand from his pocket, "Flowey to the resc-oops!" Loose change spilled from his hand onto the ground at the young girl's feet.

"Aw, Flowey," Frisk said, amazed and flattered by the flower's generosity, "That's super sweet, but you really don't have to do that." She crouched down to pick the fallen change up for her new found friend.

The next thing the human girl felt was a sudden rush of pain to her face, then the back of her head hitting the concrete ground. Her hands clasped over her face, unable to relieve the resonating sting that remained from the blow. A muffled whimper escaped her, as she tried her damnedest to fight back the tears that were pooling up in her eyes.

"You idiot." she heard the flower cackle sadistically. She desperately tried to look at her attacker, but the tears obscured her vision. Soon enough, her eyes were able to make out a mass of white and yellow, before she could finally recognize the face of the flower. His facial expression was no longer warm and friendly as it'd been before, but was now a monstrous tooth grin that spelled out evil intentions. "Round these parts, it's kill or be killed!"

He lifted a revolver into Frisk's field of vision, aiming it directly between her eyes. The girl's body trembled in fear of what was going on, as she attempted to plead with the madman. "Please, you don't have to do this!"

"Oh, but who could pass up an opportunity like this?" Flowey asked, shrugging coyly. He pulled back the hammer until there was a click. Frisk closed her eyes, preparing for the worse. "Die-"

The maniacal flower was cut off when a rusted pipe suddenly connected with the side of his head, sending him careening into some nearby trashcans. Frisk's eyes opened again upon hearing the commotion, shocked and grateful that she was still alive. What she didn't expect to see was Ms. Tori standing in Flowey's place, wielding the pipe used to club him. Her eyes burned brightly with an unbridled fury.

"About time someone taught ya some manners, ya littl-" the larger monster caught herself, realizing that she was still in the presence of a new face. She turned her gaze from the unconscious flower to the injured human, who still wore a frightened expression behind her hands. "Are you alright, my child?" she asked tenderly, kneeling down to her level. Frisk was partially hesitant to answer her, not knowing what to expect next. Ms. Tori reached her hand out to move Frisk's away from her face, only for her to wince in response. "It's alright," Ms. Tori assured, her voice having a more nurturing tone, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Frisk wasn't sure how she should react, as she'd already got a taste of what trusting a stranger would get her. She only froze, as the larger, furrier, hand of the monster took hold of hers and peeled them back. Her button nose was already darkening to a shade of purple, but it didn't appear to be broken. Blood leaked from her nostrils, dripping all the way down to her chin. "Oh dear!" Ms. Tori gasped, drawing her hand away quickly. She reached her hand into the pocket of her sweater and pulled out a handkerchief, quickly using it to wipe the blood away.

There was no doubt in Frisk's mind that if this goat-like monster lady wanted to kill her, she'd already done it ten times over by now. But, she was gentle and tender, doing her best not to cause her anymore harm. "My name's Toriel," she introduced herself, when the last of the blood had been wiped away. "But most just call me Ms Tori. And you are?"

"F-Frisk." the young girl stammered out, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"Frisk?" Ms. Tori repeated, seeming rather curious. A friendly smile spread across her soft face, and a small giggle escaped her. "My, that is a peculiar name."

"Uh, thank you?" Frisk responded, not a hundred percent sure how to interpret that.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Frisk." the monster informed, as she stood and offered her hand to the human. Frisk was hesitant, but she couldn't see any ill intentions hidden in the monster's ruby eyes. Not hesitating any further, she took her hand and pulled herself up to her feet. Her legs were shaky from the ordeal she'd just been through, but she no longer felt afraid. Rather, she felt comfortable; secure even. Something that she wasn't used to feeling.

The sound of rustling alerted the two, and they looked to where Flowey had crashed. Thankfully, he remained unconscious, his body only turning a bit from the agony he must have been feeling. "Is he okay?" Frisk asked.

"Let's hope not," Ms. Tori replied, coldly, "How anyone could just lull an innocent person into a false sense of security, only to strike when they're most vulnerable makes my stomach turn. It's good that I found you when I did."

"Yeah, thanks again." Frisk said, sighing in relief.

"Listen, it's not safe around here," the goat lady explained, taking a hold of the young human's hand, "My home isn't too far, won't you join me?" Frisk was taken aback by her offer at first, but it sure sounded better than the alternative.

"Lead the way." she answered.


	2. 31:28

**31:28**

Frisk couldn't help but smile, feeling as though she could truly trust this friend she'd only just made. For a giant goat monster, she was very beautiful. When she'd heard about the many monsters that took up residence in the Underground, she expected something much more grizzly and gruesome. The giant plushy of a monster that led her by the hand was the complete opposite.

"Tell me, Frisk," Ms. Tori spoke up, "What's a young girl like yourself doing here in the Ruins?"

"Tell ya the truth, I'm not sure myself." Frisk answered, "All I remember is waking up back there, with Flowey's face in mine."

"Do you remember what you were doing before waking up." Ms. Tori asked.

"Sleeping." Frisk replied bluntly.

"Is that sass I'm hearing?" Toriel gasped.

"No, ma'am!" Frisk corrected herself quickly, not wanting to offend the larger woman.

"Obviously, you were sleeping," Tori said, a slight giggle in her voice, "I meant before that. Is there anything you can remember doing?" Frisk thought long and hard about the night before, the events of which were foggy to her.

"Drinking." she said out loud, coming to a suddenly realization.

"Drinking?" Toriel blurted out, shocked, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one?" Frisk replied, nervously smiling. She'd hoped that she'd believe her, but knew she wasn't fooling anyone. Toriel narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced.

"Kids today." she sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly, "Though, that would explain your current predicament. Goodness, if you were my child, I'd-" She stopped, realizing what it was that she was saying.

"You'd what?" Frisk asked, feeling uneasy. Toriel was silent for a moment, picking her words carefully.

"I would tell you how much I love you, and how I wish you would make better decisions." Ms. Tori answered. Frisk expected an answer reminiscent of how she handled Flowey moments ago; what she actually got was quite the opposite. The concerned smile on the monster's face only seemed to confirm her claim, which stirred up some confusing emotions within the human. "Here we are!" Tori announced cheerfully, "Home, sweet home!"

Frisk had been so distracted by their conversation, she hadn't noticed how far they'd traveled. She looked up to see the two story building standing before them, somewhat confused. It was some kind of storefront business, with many books displayed in the window. She read the sign that hung above the books:

"Toriel's World of Knowledge & Wonder:

Take a walk through my aisles of books!

Guide yourself along the many pages!

Train yourself in the ways of imagination!"

"You live in a book store?" the young girl asked, thinking it rather odd.

"No silly," Tori giggled, "I live above it." She motioned to the door located to the far right of the storefront, searching her pocket for the key. Soon enough, she found it, using it to unlock and open the door to reveal a stairway leading up. "After you." She insisted, standing to the side. Hesitating no longer, Frisk obeyed and made her way inside and up several of the creaking steps. Once she was inside, Toriel followed behind, first closing the door and locking it behind them. She took the lead and made her way up to the top of the steps where a white wooden door awaited.

"So, do you live alone?" Frisk spoke up, as the thought of there being more of this monster's kind had only just occurred to her.

"Yes, actually," Ms. Tori sighed, clearly taking no joy in her own answer, "Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy having some peace and quiet; but it does get rather lonely often times." She opened the door and entered inside, Frisk following behind her. The small apartment certainly wasn't anything spectacular, but it was better than many of the other places Frisk had seen.

The walls were a cream color, with many photographs and other works of art hanging from them. The floor was hardwood, the finish having been scratched and worn off over time. The room was furnished with a brown reclining chair that sat next to a brick fireplace, which had a bookshelf full of books located just to the right of it. A small dining table with three chairs was placed to the right of the room. A large pathway led to a kitchen to the left of the room, and there was a small hallway located at the very end of the room.

"It feels so cozy here." Frisk commented, as she moved around the apartment.

"I'm glad you think so," Ms. Tori smiled at that, hanging her sweater on a coat rack, "I try my best to make it feel comfortable for everyone that walks through my door. Please, make yourself at home." She went to the kitchen, allowing Frisk to explore a bit. She went to the bookshelf, not recognizing any of the title or the names of the authors. Many of them were educationally based, with there even being a book on snails among them.

"How To Serve Humans," she read one of the titles to herself, pulling the book from the shelf and reading the caption below the title, "An Essential Guide To The Average Human Diet." She put the book back, feeling somewhat relieved. Toriel re-entered the room, carrying an ice pack.

"Here you are, my child," she said cheerfully, as she handed the pack to Frisk, "This should help the swelling."

"Thanks." Frisk replied, applying the freezing bag of ice to her sore nose, "So, this is the Underground. It's funny, apart from the monsters, it doesn't feel any different from home."

"That doesn't surprise me," Ms. Tori explained, taking a seat at the kitchen table, "Long ago, monsters and human once lived together in perfect harmony; it only makes sense that are societies would share similarities."

"So, what happened?" Frisk asked, never having true understanding of the situation.

"Prejudice," Toriel answered rather reluctantly, "Whether it was by hate or fear, they drove us out of "their" world. The world we helped them build." Frisk was silent, feeling guilty and rather ashamed. She moved over to the monster and placed a hand on her soft shoulder.

"I'm sorry." she apologized, taking the ice pack away from her face. Ms. Tori looked into the girl's copper eyes, seeing true sincerity in them.

"Oh, honey," she chuckled, feeling somewhat touched, "You have nothing to apologize for, that was long before your time. To blame you for what they did to us would be like you blaming me for what that hooligan did to you." Frisk remembered back to what had happened not too long ago that day.

"What Flowey said before, is it true?" Frisk asked. Toriel fell silent, as she hadn't expected to hear a question like that. Even worse, she didn't know how to respond in any other way but the honest truth. "Tori?" Her silence didn't help in easing Frisk's worries.

"This world is dangerous, I won't lie." she finally answered, reaching up to caress Frisk's cheek, "But, I assure you, it can't possibly be anymore dangerous than the world you came from." Frisk tried to process that information, not sure whether to be troubled or comforted.

"They'll hate me, won't they?" the human girl asked.

"Only out of fear and ignorance," the monster explained, before giving a tender smile, "But, they'll realize how wrong they were. Until then, you're welcome to stay here with me. And if ever you encounter another monster while I'm absent, run away. And if running is not an option, call me and stall them for time. When I get there, I'll settle the matter."

"Call you?" Frisk repeated, questioning her suggested resolution, "Do you have, like, super sonic hearing or something?" Ms. Tori giggled at her response, standing and going to her hanging sweater.

"No, silly," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out an old flip phone, "With this!" She handed the cellular device to the human. "My number is already in it. If you need anything -or just want to talk-, give me a ring, okay?" Frisk stared at the new (though outdated) phone, not sure how to feel about her host's generosity.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she couldn't help but question. Toriel realized that this much care all at once must have been overwhelming for the human; if not suspicious.

"Because," Toriel answered, as she wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, "Whether man or beast, our lives are equally as precious. Now, I know it's still early, but you may want to lie down and rest for the night. Here, I'll show you where you'll be staying!" Before Frisk could possibly interject, Ms. Tori was leading her down the hall, stopping at the first door on the left. She opened it to show a small, fully furnished, bedroom waiting on the inside. The walls were red, with only a single flower poster hanging in all of the room. There was a small twin size bed in the corner of the room, which had a red comforter to match the walls. A small shelf and a wardrobe stood side by side together, the shelves being barren. A floor lap stood in one corner of the room, and smaller lamp sat on a side table in the opposite corner.

Frisk stepped into the room, taking every bit of it in. "I hope it's to your liking," Ms. Tori remarked, "I'll let you get your rest. Oh, and one more question before I go! Do you prefer butterscotch or cinnamon?"

"What?" the human replied, a bit thrown off, "Um, I guess, cinnamon?"

"Alright!" the goat lady responded cheerfully, "Sweet dream!" She closed the door behind her, leaving Frisk alone in silence. She immediately sat down on the bed, kicking off her shoes and sitting them under it. The day had definitely taken its toll on her, and sleep sounded so good right then. She laid down on her side, rest her head on the pillow. It was such a pleasant feeling, something she wasn't at all used to. She could feel the exhaustion enveloping her, dragging her forcefully to the world of slumber.

"Sorry to bother you again," Frisk was suddenly awoken by the monster lady's voice, as she opened the door again, "You don't 'hate' butterscotch, do you? I mean, if, say, it were on a plate in front of you, you wouldn't not eat it, would you?" This question, coupled with the drowsiness, only confused the young woman even more.

"Uh, yeah, it's okay." she answered, not understanding what Ms. Tori was getting at.

"Okay, just wondering!" the goat said, before leaving again. Frisk sighed. Then, she yawned. Then, she slept.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been out, but it had definitely been several hours. The sun had already gone down, and the only light in the room was what shown beneath the door. For a moment, she'd forgotten where she was, but the familiar giggle she heard from her host immediately reminder her. What she hadn't expected, however, was a second voice laughing along with hers. The laugh definitely had to be a male's voice, one she clearly couldn't recognize. It was rather smooth, yet raspy at the same time.

"I thought she said she lived alone?" Frisk thought, not sure if it was curiosity or alarm that she felt. She sat up and quietly got out of bed, making her way over to the door and putting her ear to it.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am," she heard Toriel apologizing when her laughter had subsided, "Today's just been so hectic that I forgot that we had plans. I meant to call you-"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," the male voice cut her off, "Things happen. There's always next time. 'Least I got to try out my latest zinger on ya."

"You certainly know how to make an old sheep bahahah." Ms. Tori giggled.

"And you know how to tickle a skeleton's funny bone." the male voice joked.

"Skeleton?" Frisk questioned to herself, as curiosity got the better of her. She creaked the door open a tiny bit, trying her best to remain silent as to not alert them of her eavesdropping. She peered out through the small crack between the door and the door frame, finding Ms. Tori sitting at the table with a smaller figure. He appeared to be dressed in a blue suit, with a matching fedora on his head, and black dress shoes covering his feet. His hands were tucked away in his pockets, almost as if they never leave them.

"Are you flirting with me?" Tori faked a gasp.

"What, uh, well, no," the man in blue stumbled over his words, seeming somewhat embarrassed, "I was just tryna' be 'punny', ya know?"

"I'm just teasing ya!" Toriel said, patting the man on his shoulder.

"Ha, good one, boss!" the man commented, trying to regain his composure.

"I'm not your boss anymore," the monster sighed, shaking her head at what he'd said, "I'm no one's boss." Frisk watched as a skeletal hand emerged from the man's pocket and took Tori's.

"You'll always be our boss," he said, his voice sounding confident and assuring, "And if you ever need anything, money or-"

"That life is behind me," she interrupted, her voice sounding more stern, "And that's where it needs to stay!" It fell silent between the two of them, leaving even Frisk to wonder what would come next. "I'm sorry that we have to cut this short, but it was great having your company." Toriel finally spoke up, standing to her feet.

"No problem," the smaller man replied, standing as well, "We'll have to do it again soon." Frisk watched closely as Tori led her guest to the door. "Thanks again for the pie."

"You're welcome." Ms. Tori smiled, opening the door. Before the man in blue could leave though, the larger monster stopped him. "Oh, and Sans?"

"Yeah, Tori?" the man, now identified as being named Sans, asked. Toriel crouched down to his level, then pulled him in for a long kiss. Frisk could only gasp slightly, as she was not expecting such a thing. Soon, Toriel broke the kiss, it falling silent between them again. "I'm goin' to Grillby's," Sans announced awkwardly, as he scurried out the door, "Night!"

"Goodnight," she called back, waving, "Oh, and say hello to Papyrus for me!" After that, she closed the door, a content sigh escaping her. Frisk couldn't help but smile gleefully at this, feeling happy for the two monsters. She quietly shut the door and made her way back to the bed, but stopped when her foot tapped against something in the middle of the floor. She looked down, finding a small plate with a slice of pie, a fork and a folded up note on it. She picked it up and carried it to her bed, turning on the light as she did. She opened up the note and read it to herself.

"Frisk,

SURPRISE! I've baked you a Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie as my way of welcoming you to your new home! It's not much, but I hope you enjoy it!

Love,

Toriel"

Tears began to to well up in Frisk's eyes, as she struggled to understand all of this. She wasn't used to such affection and generosity, and she didn't know how to respond to it all. All she could do was bury her head in her knees and weep. And so she did, until sleep finally took her late into the night.


	3. 17:4

**17:4**

"U-um, M-M-Mr. Dreemurr, sir, um, y-you have a p-phone call, sir!"

An annoyed sigh erupted from the massive monster, who had been sitting peacefully in his leather desk chair. That is, until the nervous chattering of his secretary came from the speaker of his office phone. He had only just gotten comfortably; not even halfway through his first cup of Golden Flower Tea, or having taken a single bite of his butter biscuit. Having to deal with such a busy schedule on a daily basis only made his tea time all the more necessary, and any kind of interruption was simply intolerable.

"Now, Alphys, what have I told you about disturbing me during my regimens?" he answered back through the phone, his voice deep and rugged. His secretary, timid as she was, was usually good when it came to managing calls and messages during the hours when he was unavailable. Which is why this also came as a surprise to her employer as to why this time was so different.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Dreemurr, sir!" Alphys apologized frantically, sounding far more intimidated than usual, "I-i-it's just, um, w-well-"

"Spit it out, Alphsy," he ordered, dabbing his hairy lips with his napkin, "You're not a broken record!"

"She i-insisted that you would a-accept her call!" she managed to get out, her boss' attitude giving her enough motivation to deliver the message.

"Well, insist to her that if she leaves a message, I'll be sure to get back to her the moment I'm available." the lofty beast commanded, taking another sip of his tea to comfort his nerves.

"I, um, tried that already," the secretary explained to him, sounding hopeless, "S-she had some rather 'crude' things to say about that." He sighed feeling rather defeated, sitting there arguing about it was only going to cost him more of his precious time.

"Put her on." He ordered, leaning back in his chair. He planned to make this quick; settle whatever the matter was and get back to his momentary relaxation. "This is Asgore Dreemurr, what can I do for you?" he asked, having been cued by the click of the switching lines.

"I'd suggest you start by reprimanding your assistant, but I've already taken the liberty of saving you the trouble." an all too familiar feminine voice answered on the other line. Asgore nearly choked on his sip of tea, as he was desperate to respond to the woman he knew was on the other end of the call.

"Tor-Tori," he exclaimed through a fit of coughs, catching his breath, "It's been too long."

"Ms. Toriel," the woman corrected him, a strictness to her tone, "And it hasn't been long enough." Any hopes that the boss monster had in that instance were immediately shattered by those words alone, and he groaned internally.

"My apologies, Ms. Toriel," he cooperated, "I take it you're doing well?" The long pause followed by an audible sigh on the other line contradicted what he'd expected to hear.

"If I were, I wouldn't be on the phone with you now, would I?" Ms. Tori suggested.

"I reckon not," Asgore answered, as he stood from his chair and began pacing around his small office, "What can I help you with?"

"Well, I'm having a hard time turning a profit with my bookstore-" Toriel explained.

"Say no more," Asgore interrupted, pulling a checkbook and pen out of his purple suit jacket's inside pocket, "Just say the amount and I'll have Alphys mail you a check."

"Excuse me, but I think you have me confused for someone else," the female monster replied, sounding offended, "If I were looking for a handout, we wouldn't be having this conversation." This only left the large monster puzzled and somewhat embarrassed for having assumed such a thing. Of course, if she wanted money she could've went to the skeletons over in Snowdin.

"Very well, what would you have me to do?" he insisted, knowing now to listen before speaking.

"As I was saying, I'm having trouble turning a profit with my bookstore," Toriel continued, "Given the location, it's a tad obscure to the average consumer. But, seeing that you have connections with the Underground's hottest star, I was hoping that you could arrange some kind of advertisement for me."

"Advertisement," Asgore repeated to himself, figuring it to be a reasonable enough request, "Consider it done. Now, if we could meet to go over the details-"

"Toriel's World of Knowledge & Wonder," Ms. Tori cut him off before he could go any further, "1115 Steam Lane, the Ruins. Thank you for your time, Mr. Dreemurr, and enjoy the rest of your evening." And with that, the woman's voice was replaced with the audible dial tone.

"Same to you." the bearded monster exhaled, ending the call on his end as well. Even though her bitterness was still ever so present, he couldn't help but take some joy away from her call. It'd been so long since he'd heard her voice, that even screams of hatred were like a choir of angels singing in perfect harmony. The silence was what killed him. He'd rather hear her rant and ramble, curse at him, and call him every name in the book, than to hear nothing at all.

And she knew that, and that's exactly what she wanted.

He looked upon the portrait that hung from his wall; the portrait of his family. Him and his queen, fresh and ripe in their youth. Underground royalty, having clawed their way to the top. They earned the love, respect, and admiration of every monster that lived in "their" kingdom. And they were happy to share their wealth and power with the two men that stuck beside them during their long fought battle for supremacy. The small, rigged, tortoise that stood to their left, and the tall, pasty, gentleman in black that stood to their right.

Oh, how he'd change since that day. The once young, slim, and neatly trimmed goat dressed in purple was now older, heavier, and hairier around the face. The king that held the hand of his queen now had no hand to hold. The kingdom he ruled increased, but the family he loved so much decreased. Oh, what he would do to change that, but it was far too late for that now. He'd already failed his family, but he wouldn't fail his people.

* * *

"Ya gonna ask her out, or ya just gonna sit there starin' like a creepa'?" the young tortoise asked, nudging the young goat monster.

"Ask who out?" Asgore questioned, pretending to be clueless.

"Don't play dumb with me, flea bag," the tortoise said, backhanding the other monster on the arm, "The dame at the end of the bar ya been eyein' all night."

"Shut up," the goat murmured a growl, trying his best to hide his face, "Don't let her hear you!" He briefly glanced out of the corner of his eye at the monster that sat at the far corner of the counter, somewhat relieved that she hadn't noticed them. She just sat there, enjoying her drink and scribbling away in her text book. Looking so ravishing in her plum belted dress and matching heels. Her ruby eyes glistening in the dim bar, and a shine that reflected from her silky, clean, white, fur made it seem as though she was glowing. Almost like and angel from Heaven. Or a goddess.

"C'mon, Gorey, mingle with the nice gal," his reptilian friend encouraged him, "Worst she could do is say no!"

"I don't have time for a relationship, Gerson," Asgore explained, trying to come up with any excuse to not humiliate himself, "I got far too much on my plate as is."

"Bullshit!" Gerson exclaimed, which only caused his larger friend to shush him frantically.

"Gentlemen." A tall pale man greeted the two in a smooth, raspy, voice, as he sat down next to Asgore.

"Gaster." the large monster returned, nodding before looking to the flaming bartender, "Cosmopolitan."

"Who died?" Gerson asked, referencing Gaster's black attire.

"Half of your brain cells," the pale man answered, straightening his glasses, "It's made more tragic knowing that you were born with very few to begin with."

"Can't argue with that." the tortoise sighed in defeat.

"Namely because you lack the mental capability." Gaster added, as he lit himself a cigarette. His remark earned a laugh from Asgore.

"Ain'tcha late gettin' here?" Gerson asked, trying to change the subject.

"I had a lecture on quantum field theory," the man in black explained, "After that, I had dinner with the misses, took Sans to nightcare, handled that thing from last night, and made a delivery to the butcher's." The bartender sat the dark blue drink with the glittering white specks in it in front of Gaster, who gladly took a sip.

"Ya see that?" Gerson said, gesturing to Gaster.

"Stay away from the bologna." Gaster added, taking another small sip of his drink.

"The guy's got a wife and a kid-"

"Two kids." Gaster corrected the tortoise.

"Ey, mazel tov!" the tortoise congratulated him, Asgore doing the same, "Anyway, a wife and two kids, and he's still got enough time for the business."

"What are we discussing?" Gaster questioned, realizing he'd come in late to their conversation.

"Our furry pal here's been makin' googly eyes at a certain lady a couple seats down from us." Gerson took the liberty of explaining the situation. Gaster turned and saw the female they were referring to, examining her closely.

"Hmm, yes, she is quite the specimen." he commented, turning back to his drink.

"I feel like you could've worded that differently." Asgore replied, rolling his eyes.

"She's a lovely lady," He rephrased his previous comment, "Why don't you go speak to her?"

"Been tryin' to get 'em to do that all night," Gerson informed, as the goat monster slouched forward on the counter, "He ain't budged an inch."

"I believe our friend here's feeling self-conscious." Gaster remarked, looking across to Gerson. Asgore didn't respond, as he knew he couldn't hide it from them.

"What's the matter with you?" Gerson asked him, not believing what he was hearing, "You're a good lookin' fella! Yer strong, ya got a good head on yer shoulders, ya got the biggest the heart! What girl wouldn't want ya?"

"You flirtin' with me, Ger?" Asgore replied, pretending to be wooed.

"And seeing you're both of the same race, your chances of a successful partnership increase exponentially." Gaster added on to Gerson reasoning.

"Does everything have to be scientific and technical with you?" Asgore turned to Gaster, but noticed someone talking to the lady at the end of the bar. A well built seahorse appeared to be hitting on her, but she didn't look to be swayed. In fact she looked rather annoyed by his advances. Asgore narrowed his eyes, as he stood up from his stool.

"Where ya goin'?" the tortoise asked, but received no answer, "Gorey?" The two watched as Asgore moved across the bar towards the two at the other end.

"Look, how many time do I have to tell you that I'm just not interested?" the young female monster groaned, irritated by the pestering seahorse. The seemingly self obsessed merhorse only ignored her rejection, as he continued to flex his chiseled physique.

"Once," Asgore took it upon himself to answer on the seahorse's behalf, "And that's why you're going to apologize to the nice lady for bothering her, right, Aaron?" The seahorse looked up at Asgore, who only stared down at him menacingly.

"Uh, yeah, sure!" Aaron agreed, a chill going down his back as he recognized the larger monster, "S-sorry 'bout that, ma'am, you have a lovely evenin'!" He was quick to rush off, as Asgore looked at the young female before him, somewhat awestruck.

"You alright, miss?" He asked. The young goat girl looked up at Asgore, her heart racing in excitement.

"Yes, thank you." She answered, smiling. Asgore couldn't help but return the smile, as he extended his hand to her.

"I'm Asgore." He introduced himself, the young woman accepting his hand and shaking it.

"Toriel," She returned, her ruby eyes looking into the other monster's violet ones, "But most people just call me Tori."

"Well, most people call me Gorey." He added.

"Or King Fluffybuns!" Gerson called from across the bar, causing Asgore to immediately cringe.

"King Fluffybuns?" Toriel snickered, trying so hard not to burst out laughing. Asgore couldn't begin to explain how embarrassed and humiliated he felt at that moment, nor his burning desire to strangle his tortoise friend. "What's that all about?"

"It's, uh, a long story." Asgore informed, feeling as though he should just run away with the little dignity he had left.

"Well, tell it to me," she insisted, patting the seat next to her. In a way, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but that doesn't mean he wasn't oh so willing to comply. And so he did, and the two of them talked the night away.

* * *

He admired the woman in the painting, the one draped in scarlet and gold. She was his goddess, and he worshiped the very ground that she walked upon. He showered her with gold and fine jewelry, nothing was too expensive for her. He built her a mansion, with many rooms for her to dwell in. He gave her his life, and she gave him hers.

And now, she wouldn't take a penny from him.

Asgore returned to his desk, picking up the phone and dialing a number. "Yes, this is Asgore Dreemurr," He informed, "Is Mettaton available to speak?"


	4. 22:1

**22:1**

It couldn't have been but a couple hours that Frisk was awoken again, having been stirred by the faint sound of high pitched howling. Oddly enough, it seemed to be a constant pattern, almost as if it were in a looping cycle. She opened her eyes, finding that even the light under the door was gone, signaling that Toriel must have gone to bed. She considered whether or not to investigate the ominous noise, even though the answer to that question seemed rather obvious. Creepy noises in the night usually spelled out trouble, so she rolled over and covered her ears with the pillow.

Although the pillow did its job in absorbing most of the sound, its presence was still audible enough to hinder the human's attempts to rest. She tried her damnedest to drown out the sound, but it never faded or gave way to silence. She groaned in defeat, knowing that there was no use in trying to ignore it. She sat up and got her shoes on, as she knew the sound couldn't have been coming from inside the apartment. She quietly made her way to the door and opened it, peeking her head out to look around.

Just as she'd suspected, the lights were off and Ms. Tori was nowhere to be seen; probably fast asleep in her own bed. Seeing her opportunity, Frisk crept silently from her room, navigating her way in the darkness to the front door. Luckily for her, the moonlight through the windows illuminated the room enough for her to find a clear path. Soon enough, she was at the door, unlocking the deadbolt and being careful not to make too much noise as she was opening it. Once she was on the other side of the door, she closed it behind her, turning back to face the flight of stairs.

The howling had grown louder the closer she got to the outside world, the sound reverberating off the walls of the stairwell. She slowly moved down the steps, making sure not to alert either Toriel or whatever it was that produced the sound she followed. She found the door at the bottom of the steps to be unlocked; apparently, this Sans character had forgotten to lock the door behind him when he left earlier. "Should probably mention that to Ms. Tori later." she told herself, as she opened the door and peered out.

There hovering underneath a street light on the corner across from the shop was a ghost, which ironically didn't look all that spooky. In fact, he looked rather adorable, one of those stereotypical bed sheet looking specters. "Does that make me racist for thinking that?" Frisk wondered. Either way, she was more infatuated with the ghost than frightened. And how could she not be; what with his big, black, puppy dog, eyes, blue flat cap, and tiny, black, bowtie.

It didn't take too long after she'd discovered the lonesome apparition that she also found the source of the howling sounds she'd followed; a handheld stereo that sat on the ground next to him. It suddenly made sense why the howling sounded like it was in a consistent loop, it was some kind of audio recording. A bizarre one at that, but to each their own. The ghost just hovered in that one spot, motionless and expressionless. Frisk tried to wrap her mind around this, not fully grasping the concept of what she was seeing. She wondered if this was a common occurrence, as he seemed to be going about it so causally.

While she was still pondering the likely motives, the howling finally faded away, leaving them in a deafening silence.

"Nope, not like they used to." he commented, turning to meddle with the stereo. He froze in his tracks, having spotted the human girl staring at him from the doorway of bookstore. Frisk didn't know how to react, so she just smiled and waved at the spirit awkwardly, hoping for a positive response. "O-oh... I thought this place was abandoned," the ghost broke the silence, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, "...I probably woke you up, didn't I?"

It was hard not to notice an obvious gloomy vibe that he gave off, as if their casual encounter alone was all it took to bring the spirit down (no pun intended). "... I'm sorry... I just ruined your whole night, didn't I?" he apologized, as he began to hover backwards out from under the street light, "...I'll go now... enjoy your night... sorry that I ruined it."

"Wait, you didn't-" But, it was too late, the ghost was already out of sight, lost in the darkness of the night. Frisk felt awful, feeling as though she was responsible for the strangers sadness. Even worse, he left his stereo behind. "Hey, wait!" she called out, running over and scooping up the audio device, "You forgot your stereo! Come back!" But, it was no use, the ghost was gone without a trace.

She grunted loudly in frustration, examining the stereo in her hands. She noticed something was inscribed on the top of it, and began to read it to herself.

"If found, please return to Napstablook. Or don't. I guess you could keep it, if you like. It's a nice stereo. Or you can just throw it away, it'll probably just take up too much space anyway. It's up to you. I could always get a new one. I'm sorry that you had to read so much, I probably shouldn't have explained all of this to you. I'm going to stop writing now. Bye."

"So, that was just oddly non-confrontational." the human thought, before rushing off to follow the elusive spook. She hoped he hadn't gone too far, she wasn't comfortable venturing far off away from her safe haven. Especially in the dead of night, in an unexplored world full of monsters. Her eyes darted around in every direction, examining her surroundings as she went.

Many abandoned storefronts and other businesses lined each side of the streets she traveled on, along with a few ran down houses. This felt too reminiscent of life in the human world, where she often wandered similar streets in low income neighborhoods. There are hard times for everyone in this world, she supposed. Maybe that's why it concerned her so much that she gets this stereo back to it's owner, because she knew what it was like to lose something during these hard times. Only, no one was willing to help her when she did.

"Napstablook!" she called, heading down each street, avenue, and road she could to find the shy ghost. She found herself traveling by a park, as she noticed an overall shift in her environment. At some point, she'd wandered out of the ghetto and into what appeared to be a warehouse district, full of many large and towering buildings. Small spotlights on the ground illuminated a sign off to the side of the sidewalk, which read "Welcome To Snowdin". "Snowdin," Frisk marveled at the name, looking all around at the land, "There's no snow here."

After realizing that she was taking the name too literal, she contemplated whether or not to turn back and give up on her search. A young woman like her had no business wondering around all alone, late at night in this unfamiliar city. She looked down at the electronic in her hand, re-reading the engraving to herself. Something stirred up inside of her, an immense drive to continue forward. To find Napstablook and see his face when she returned his stereo to him.

It filled her with determination.

She pressed on and journeyed further into Snowdin, hoping to find some sort of direction of where to locate her missing specter. Luckily for her, the sound of faint music in her ears caught her attention, drawing her to follow. Seeing that Napstablook had a love for music, surely he'd be drawn to a place where it was playing. Then again, it was a bit of a stretch to call what he was listening to 'music'; it was more like someone recorded themselves screaming for several minutes. Actually, that sounded a lot like modern day music, so she withdrew her prior opinion.

Soon enough, she happened upon a diner, with a red neon sign above it that read "GRILLBY'S". Frisk swore she recognized that name,,but couldn't remember where she heard it. It soon dawned on her that Ms. Tori's skeleton friend had made mention of it earlier that night, right before leaving. Maybe she'd bump into him here, get the chance to meet the man who stole the goat lady's heart. From what she saw, he appeared friendly enough.

She wandered up to the window, looking in to see monsters of many different shapes and sizes eating and having a good time. Again, not too much different from the diners and bars she'd been in before. Her face lit up in astonishment when she spied a pack of dogs clad in matching black suits sitting around a table playing cards, a squeal of glee escaping her. The most noteworthy of the dogs was the big guy that towered over the other four (along with everyone else in the establishment), whose tiny head seemed to be staring dimwittedly off into space.

Another dog with matching white fur as the giant one sat to his right, though, much lower than him. He too wore a spaced out expression, as if their brains operated on the same wave length. To their left sat two other dogs, one male and the other females. The only details that differentiated the two near identical pooches were the males bushier eyebrows, furrier muzzle, and swooped back cowlick, and the females, thick and fuller eyelashes. At first, she assumed them to be siblings, but the passionate kiss that they shared made her hope the contrary.

And last, there sat a black and white dog at the far right of the table, who oddly enough wore a pink tie instead of the black ties the others wore. Along with the peculiar color choice, he had a visible habit of smoking what looked like a bone shaped dog threat. That couldn't have been healthy for him, his other dog friends should urge him to quit. Or maybe it was perfectly fine and she was just concerning herself too much. She wasn't able to hear it, but she watched as the dog broke out into an obvious coughing fit.

"Yeah, no, definitely not okay." Frisk thought, recognizing that the canine needed to kick his bad habit fast. Suddenly, reality hit her. "What am I doing, I'm supposed to be returning this!" She scolded herself for getting side tracked from her mission, "The dogs can wait!" And with that decided, she entered the diner. Smooth jazz seemed to be the preferred background music, as it seemed fitting for the atmosphere of the establishment.

* * *

"Sans, are you even listenin'?"

"Hmm?" the pint-sized skeleton with the permanent smile grunted, having been awoken by his lengthier brother's squawking, "'Course I am, brotha'."

"Is that so?" his brother, Papyrus, doubted, "Well then, mind tellin' me what I just said?"

"You were gabbin' on about how you're gonna be in the Royal Guard someday." Sans answered, slouching forward on the table.

"Give the devil his due, I'll commend you on your lucky guess," Papyrus remarked, partially impressed, "If only you'd put that brain to schemin' instead of nappin' your life away, we'd made more of a name for ourselves."

"Not everybody can be as smart as you, Paps." the skeleton in blue informed, showing a bit of admiration towards the one in red.

"True, but it never hurts to be second best," Papyrus said, as he straightened his tomato red scarf, "I mean really, Sans, here you have so much potential as brother of one of the most intelligent monsters in all the Underground, and you squander it!" Sans stared at the plate of cold fries smothered in ketchup on the table in front of him, figuring Grillby must have brought them while he was snoozing. It didn't bother him that they were cold, he preferred them that way most times.

"Ya need a dummy like me by your side, brotha'," he explained his half assed logic, taking a gooey fry and eating it, "That way people have someone to compare and contrast your genius to." Hey, maybe that wasn't so half assed after all. Even his brother considered his reasoning.

"You're not wrong," the slender bones retorted, "Oh, but the day will come when all will recognize my wittiness, and I won't require any such comparison! Until then, keep playin' the dummy!"

"No problem, but you might need to give me a 'hand'." Sans joked, earning a death stare from his unamused sibling.

"One night, Sans," Papyrus yelled lividly, "One night, that's all I ask!"

"Jeez, Paps, ya need to lighten up," Sans chuckled at his brother's annoyance, "Maybe Grillbz can help ya out." The aforementioned blue fire man just so happened to be passing by to deliver an order to another table.

"Please, stop including me in your jokes." Grillby requested, as he continued his work.

"Ah, you love it!" Sans dismissed his request, eating another fry.

"What I need is a brother whose only solace in life isn't these ridiculous puns!" Papyrus exclaimed, smacking the smaller bones on the back of the skull.

"Ow!" Sans groaned, rubbing the sore spot. The red clad skeleton slouched down in the booth, sighing out of frustration.

"That, or a third man in our crew." he added. They'd been looking for new recruits for some time, needing that extra hand for some of their trickier jobs. Unfortunately, being notorious for botching many of their major heists only earned them mockery and disrespect from the other gangs. Nowadays, they were considered nothing more than a couple of stickup men, lowest of the low in their line of work. He couldn't help it though, having to carried most of the weight himself while his brother dillydallied. All he needed was an underling, someone he could learn the ropes.

He couldn't help but stare at the peachy stranger that wandered around the diner, who was decked in a purple and blue striped dress. They were a puzzling sight to behold, one that held one of those music players in their hands. "Hey, Sans," he said, nudging his brother, "What's that?"

"What's what?" Sans asked, having been preoccupied by his fries.

"That fella over there," Papyrus specified, pointing at the stranger, "What are they? I've never seen their kind before." Sans glanced up, laying eyes on the one the other referred to. It didn't take him long to draw a conclusion based on their physical characteristics.

"Looks like a human." Sans answered, surprised.

"A human," Papyrus blurted out, shocked by this sudden knowledge, "Here, in the Underground?" His outburst drew the attention of the human to their presence, appearing concerned by their staring. "Oh my god, they've spotted us!" Papyrus squeaked, feeling both giddy and frantic at the same time. The human just stared at them, as they just stared awkwardly back. After a few minutes had passed, they began to approach the two skeletons. "They're coming this way," the taller skeleton whispered, "What do we do?"

"Maybe try and recruit them?" the smaller skeleton suggested, shrugging.

"Sans, that's brilliant," Papyrus praised, "If we successfully enlist a human into our crew, we'll be the biggest thing in the Underground since Onionsan!" He immediately prepared himself to sway the human, only to draw the conclusion that he had no idea what to say. "Quick, Sans, what should I say to them?" he asked.

"I dunno, just steal a line from Undyne." Sans answered. Just then, the human was at their table, mustering up a welcoming smile.

"Hi-" they tried to greet the two.

"Listen, numbskull, it takes balls of steel to join the Royal Guard, and all ya shown me is shit for brains!" Papyrus yelled, showing aggression. The human was visible dumbfounded by his outburst, not knowing how to respond.

"Ya should probably try a different line." Sans insisted, realizing his brother was bombing hard. Papyrus slammed his fists on the table, stood up, and got right in the human's now frightened face.

"Fight me!" he roared, causing them to wince.

"Okay, forget Undyne," the smaller bones said, now completely embarrassed as he pulled Papyrus back into the booth, "Should probably have went with a formal introduction."

"I mucked it up, didn't I?" Papyrus inquired, realizing he may have went at it wrong.

"If ya spelled it with an 'F'," Sans grumbled beneath his breath, "Nah, Paps, ya did fine."

"My apologies, Human," Papyrus apologized sincerely, feeling ashamed, "Please, have a seat, I'll order you some pasta!"

Frisk stood there, still unsure of how to process what just happened.


	5. 2:23

**2:23**

"Human?"

Although she knew he was addressing her, Frisk didn't respond, as she was still recovering from the lengthier skeleton's traumatizing first impression. Most people she'd met greeted with a "hello", or "how do ya do"; but all she got from these monsters was a verbal bombardment.

"Jiminy Crickets, Sans, I broke 'em!" the skeleton in the red suit shrieked, showing immediate horror and remorse toward the actions that led to this moment.

"Nah, ya just spooked them a bit," the smaller skeleton in blue clarified, trying to calm the other down. Hearing the name and recognizing the suit and height difference, Frisk snapped out of her trance like state when she realized it was the same skeleton from Toriel's apartment. She never did get the chance to look at his face before; but having seen it now, she had only one thing on her mind.

Why was he smiling?

"Ya see, Paps, I think she's comin' to." Sans informed.

"Oh my god, Sans, don't just assume their gender," the one referred to as Paps scolded him, "We're already in enough hot water as is!"

"N-no," Frisk finally spoke up, catching both of their attentions, "He's right, I'm a girl. Well, woman, technically." The two bone heads looked at each other, Sans wearing a triumphantly smug expression.

"I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot," the taller one elaborated, seeming apologetic, "We'd like to take things from the top, and start anew. This is my brother, Sans the Comic."

"Hey, how's it goin'?" Sans chimed in.

"And I, the magnificent creature sitting before you, am Papyrus the Great!" Paps introduced himself, putting quite a bit of emphasis on the adjectives in his introduction.

"Papyrus the Great?" Frisk repeated the name, questioning its flow.

"Yeah, why, what's wrong with it?" Papyrus asked, seemingly concerned by the human's undecided response.

"Oh, nothing," she assured, not wanting to give the wrong impression, "But have you ever considered, I dunno, the Great Papyrus?" Papyrus' jaw dropped upon hearing the newly arranged title, answering the human girl's question without even speaking.

"Dammit, that's good," He cursed himself for having never thought of it, "Sans, from this moment on, I shall forever be known as the Great Papyrus!"

"Does this mean I gotta send back the business cards?" Sans asked.

"Did ya already order 'em?" his brother enquired, concerned that his name change had came too late.

"Just came in today." the grinning skull answered, pulling a card from his pocket and handing it to his prideful sibling.

"What the-" Papyrus said, having been left puzzled after reading it, "Sans, there's been some kinda misprint, all the B's and S's are missin'!"

"Oh no, I ordered 'em like that." Sans remarked.

"Why would you do that?" the confused brother questioned, not understanding the comic's motive.

"Isn't it obvious," he replied, his smile seemingly growing wider, "Papyrus and Sans don't 'BS' anyone!"

"SANS!" Papyrus erupted, mortified that he'd fallen for another one of his brother's horrid jokes. Frisk couldn't keep herself from bursting out laughing, both from Sans' clever gag and Papyrus' over the top reaction.

"Ha, see, the kid thought it was funny." Sans chuckled.

"I don't know which is worse, the joke, or that you wasted 80g's to make it!" Papyrus groaned, rubbing his temples from the headache he was experiencing as a side effect. Frisk tried to understand why the bigger of the two hated the smaller of the two's choice in comedy, it was hilarious. He certainly lived up to his name. "Oh dear, I was so caught up in Sans' hijinks that I never did get your name, Human!" Papyrus realized.

"My name's Frisk." she answered, having calmed down from the laughter. The two just sat there with their eyes glued on her, as if they were expecting something else. "Frisk," she repeated, kind of unsure, "The Human?"

"Pleasure to meet ya, Frisk the Human," Papyrus greeted, shaking her hand bare hand with his leather gloved one.

"Ya wanna join our crew?" Sans offered without hesitation.

"Brother, do you even know the meaning of the word subtlety!" Papyrus scolded him.

"I know that it ain't you." the blue clad bones replied. Knowing that she wasn't getting anywhere with the two skelebrothers bickering back and forth, she sought to speed things up.

"Listen, I'm just looking for a ghost," the human girl explained her situation, "His name is Napstablook, and this is his stereo. I'm trying to find him so I can return it. Do either of you have any idea where he is?"

"Oh well, he's probably a-"

"Ya see, we'd love to help you with that and all," Sans was quick to cut off his brother, seizing the perfect opportunity, "But seein' that you're an outsider lookin' in, we can't just give away that kinda information."

"He's right, who's to say you ain't a snitch," Papyrus agreed, realizing he'd almost been so careless, "Or worse, a bill collector?" He leaned forward across the table until he was in Frisk's face again, staring into her eyes suspiciously.

"Who's to say you goons aren't tryna con me?" she retorted, realizing that they were up to something sketchy.

"Ah, a wise guy, 'ey," the skeleton responded with an arched brow, looking back at Sans as he leaned back away from her, "How 'bout we show her what we do to wise guys, ey, brother?" The context of that statement concerned Frisk, as did his menacing tone of voice.

"Go for it." Sans encouraged him, which only concerned her more. Papyrus reached into his red coat, clearly going for some kind of concealed weapon. Frisk took a step back, her heart racing as she entered panic mode. She considered running, but for some reason her legs wouldn't move any further. Her body had locked up in her terrified state that she had no clue of what to do. All she could think of was to close her eyes and hope it would end quick.

"Thirteen down," Papyrus spoke, "Nine letters. Most commonly referred to as clowns, they can make you laugh and cry." Her fear dissolved into confusion as she heard her apparent executioner speak, causing her to open her eyes to gain a better understanding. She never thought it possible to be so enlightened, and yet still so confused at the same time. Instead of wielding a gun as she'd experienced once already that day, the overdramatic skeleton wielded a newspaper and a pen. Apparently, he was on a crossword section, with only one word remaining blank.

"I'm tellin' ya, it's gotta be 'ATTORNEYS'." Sans rationed with him.

"It's not attorneys, Sans!" Papyrus denied.

"It fits!" Sans insisted, running his bony finger down the spaces.

"I know it fits, but that doesn't make it right!" Papyrus argued. Frisk wasn't sure if she was going to be able to take these two seriously, as everything they'd done so far only proved them to be relatively harmless.

"Harlequin." she answered, hoping that maybe this was some way she could gain their trust. And maybe having done that, she'd finally get some answers on Napstablook's whereabouts. Papyrus considered her answer.

"It fits!" Papyrus gasped in astonishment, filling it in.

"Good job, kiddo," Sans congratulated, "Still think my answer's right, but whatever."

"Congratulations, Human, you've passed the test," the presumably older brother cheered proudly, "You're now an honorary member of the Bad Time Crew! Welcome aboard!" He offered his hand to shake in both appreciation and agreement.

"E-excuse me?" Frisk stammered, not realizing what she had just done, "The what?"

"The Bad Time Crew," Papyrus alliterated, "We were originally going to be called the Good Time Crew, but Undyne shot it down."

"Said it wasn't intimidating enough." Sans added, yet still allowing the other to do most of the explaining.

"It was meant to be ironic," the lengthy skeleton explained his wording, "Ya know, like, if you stick with these guys, they'll show you a 'good' time!"

"I came up with the new name." the stubby skeleton informed.

"All he did was change 'Good' to 'Bad'!" Papyrus groaned, clearly holding some resentment towards his brother.

"She liked it." Sans said, somewhat proud.

"She tolerated it!" Papyrus argued, seeming to be in denial.

"Uh, hello, I still have no idea what I've signed up for!" Frisk interjected, still clueless. She must have been standing there for a good half hour and wasn't anywhere closer to finding the ghost, but had apparently enlisted herself into a gang. For this being her first night in the Underground, she seemed to be adapting well to her new environment.

"What you've signed up for, dear human, is the opportunity of a life time," Papyrus elaborated, "Wealth! Fame! Power! All at your finger tips! Everyone in the Underground will love and respect you!"

"Or hate and resent you," Sans chimed in, leaning back and propping his feet on the table, "Either way, ya still get the first three things."

"No denyin' it, that's always a possibility," his brother confirmed, "There's always risks in this line of work!"

"And what kinda work are we talkin' here?" Frisk asked, still not fully understanding what it was they were implying.

"Knockin' over banks." the reclining bag of bones answered bluntly.

"Sans!" Papyrus screamed again, obviously irate over his brother's selective filter. Frisk didn't expect an answer like that. She would've dismissed it as nothing more than another joke, if not for the sincerity in their voices. Suddenly, it all made perfect sense. The snazzy suits, the names, their crew, the talk about wealth and power; these two were a couple of gangsters. Seemingly ineffective ones, but gangsters nonetheless.

Knowing all that, her brain formulated her next course of action, clearly not wanting to get involved in hot waters like that. She'd be crazy to get mixed up in a life of crime, especially in a place where she was uneducated of the laws (or the punishments for breaking said laws). Declining their offer felt like the simplest solution, but there was a good chance of that not ending well for her. Even with their more than welcoming nature, they were still criminals with questionable morals. In fact, more likely than not, their friendliness was just a clever facade like the one Flowey had fooled her with not too long ago.

Did that mean that Flowey was a gangster too? Could they be working together? Sans' smile-

"'Eya, kid, ya might wanna duck down for a moment." her thoughts were cut short by the smiling skull that was on her mind, sounding a tad bit demanding.

"Wha-" Frisk didn't understand what he was trying to pull.

"Frisk, it seems we have an unwelcome guest joining us," the scarf wearing skeleton walked her through the situation quickly, seeming more alert, "For your own safety, I suggest you take cover underneath the table!" Even at that moment, she didn't know if she should trust the two of them, as they could've been luring her into a vulnerable state.

"We're not playin' a game here, toots!" Sans said, as she spied beads of sweat form on his skeletal face. That only raised more questions, but was enough to convince the human girl of the direness of their situation. She crouched down and crawled underneath the table, taking refuge in the space between where the skelebrothers sat. She remained unsure or whether or not she'd made the right decision in trusting them, as it still could have been a trap.

However, her worries were put to rest when another person joined the two at the table, standing where she once stood. Two long, purple, feminine, legs wrapped in fishnets, with crimson heels on their feet were the only parts she could see of their sudden visitor.

"Bonsoir, squelettes!" the stranger greeted the two in French.


	6. 21:15

**21:15**

"Ms. Muffet, didn't expected to see a dame like yourself in a dime like this!"

The aforementioned arachnid woman snickered at Papyrus' response to her presence, her tiny lips curved into a smile. Not because he was wrong, but because he was right. What with her shimmering, burgundy, sequin dress (with matching coin purse) and white fur jacket, she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the lower to middle class patrons. Hardly the kinda person you'd see hanging around Snowdin, especially at this hour.

"Aw, Paperust, you always know how to make me blush." she commented, two of her five eyes winking at the mispronounced skeleton.

"Papyrus-" he attempted to correct her.

"Mind if I join you two?" the spider girl asked, sitting down before they could even garner an answer.

"No, please, by all means." Sans answered disingenuously, seeing that it wouldn't have made any difference either way. Grillby happened to be passing by the two skeletons' booth again when he laid eyes on Ms. Muffet, an apparent distrust for her being present.

"Grillby, darlin', how about makin' lil' Ms. Muffet a Bloody Mary, extra bloody?" Muffet requested, giving him a cutesy expression. Grillby remained silent, looking to Sans for some direction. The smirking skeleton just gave him a slight nod, assuring him that the situation was being handled.

"Coming right up." the fire man agreed reluctantly, ready to leave to make her drink.

"On the house, right?" the sly spider giggled confidently. Grillbz clearly wasn't too keen about this woman, and she knew it.

"On us." the red clad skeleton claimed, trying to ease some of the tension between the two. For the flaming man, it did little to help, but he was still appreciative of their effort. He left to make the drink, leaving them to talk.

"Such gentlemen," the elegant arachnid commented, almost sounding flirtatious, "Your mother must be so proud." Her charm failed on the two, them knowing better than to trust her. Still, they weren't ones to turn down a possible business opportunity, so they played nice.

"What brings ya to Snowdin?" Sans asked, knowing that they needed to make this quick. They could only stall her for so long before she spied the human they had stashed under the table.

"Oh, I was just on my way to pick up some donations in the Ruins," she explained, one of her six arms pulling a cigarette holder from her purse, "Thought I'd stop in and have a drink." She lit the cigarette with one of her others hands with a Zippo lighter, seeming to purposefully blow the smoke in their faces.

"Lotta empty seats here to choose from," Papyrus pointed out, knowing that it was more than drinks that she was after, "Any particular reason you sat with us? Besides my dashing good looks?"

"Goodness, ya caught me," Muffet faked a surprised gasp, before tickling the overconfident skeleton under the chin seductively, "You lured me in like a moth to a flame."

"See that, Sans," the slender bones remarked, nudging his brother with his elbow cheekily, "Another damsel wooed by the God-sculpted masterpiece that is the Great Papyrus!"

"You're a real heartbreaker, brotha'," the funny bones said, but wasn't buying into her game, "But I think our lady friend here is lookin' for more than a 'boning'."

Frisk desperately tried to suppress her laughter, having been caught off-guard by another one of his amazing jokes.

"Oh my god, you really just said that." Papyrus responded, an almost emptiness to his reaction. At that point, he'd realized that he'd lost any control of the conversation, having been completely humiliated by his brother's crudeness. Muffet herself only snickered at Sans' clever wording.

Frisk watched as the crossed legs in front of her uncrossed themselves. The dress this "Muffet" woman wore only went down to her mid thighs, giving more of a view of her choice of undergarments to the human that she remained clueless to. Feeling somewhat perverted for having caught a peek, she quickly adverted her gaze elsewhere.

"Or truthfully, I'm just lookin' to get 'crossboned'." the enchanting spider purred, one of her other hands caressing Sans' cheekbone.

"O-kay, now this is just gettin' weird!" Frisk had a minor panic attack, not liking where this was going.

"Your drink." Grillby chimed in, having returned to the table. He sat the glass containing the dark red liquid down next to Muffet, who withdrew her hands away from the skeletons.

"Oh, yummy!" she cheered giddily, taking a sip.

"Thank you, Grillby." Frisk sighed internally, relieved that the innuendos had stopped for the moment.

"Thank you, Grillby, that'll be all." Ms. Muffet dismissed the bartender, who reluctantly obeyed, "So, boys, how about helpin' me scratch this itch of mine?"

"Yeah," Sans chuckled, "No."

"What?" the seductress responded, not expecting that answer.

"I have to agree with my brother on this one," Papyrus reasoned, pulling his scarf down to left his neck bone breathe, "If the Great Papyrus isn't enough to quench your thirst, then perhaps you should try another well." The six-armed woman didn't take too kindle to their rejection, seeing that she was of such higher standard than the two lowlifes. Here she was, offering them a once in a life time experience to sample some of the goods, and they turned their nose up at her.

"How 'bout ya stop pullin' our legs and start tellin' us what you're really doin' here?" Sans suggested, growing tired of this facade.

"Fine," Muffet scoffed, her sweet expression shifting more towards sour, "I was hoping to buy you two out of your share of Grillby's."

"Buy us out?" Papyrus questioned.

"Sounds to me like your method was more rubbin' than buyin'," the grinning skull noted.

"True, I had hoped that I could settle the deal without having to spend a cent, but money talks," she sighed, "So, name your price."

"Zero." Sans answered.

"Sans, what are you doin'," Papyrus scolded him, "You can't sell our shares for nothin'!"

"No, I mean 'zero', as in we're not sellin'." the shorter bones clarified. Muffet didn't seem too pleased by that answer, what with how one of her eyes was twitching.

"Oh?" she inquired, her lips contorting into a smile.

"Ya see, this joint's the only way we can make an honest livin'," Sans continued, "We sell that, and we ain't got nothin' left."

"Those are double negatives." Paps corrected him.

"Not to mention, Grillbz doesn't seem too keen with the idea of being associated with you," the comic explained further, "So, forgive us, but no thanks."

Although she tried to look away from the mysterious woman's undergarments, Frisk's attention was drawn to the coin purse that sat upon her lap. Two of her hands that were concealed beneath the table happened to be digging through it, suspiciously attempting to remain quiet. It didn't take her long to realize what was going on once the two hands emerged from the purse, each armed with a miniature pistol aimed at the two skelebrothers.

"Oh, I know how that goes," she heard Ms. Muffet reply, "Makin' an honest livin' isn't easy nowadays, what with so many stingy people." Knowing that things we're not going to end well if she didn't intervene, her mind raced to figure out a way to warn her new partners of the impending danger. If she spoke up, she'd shoot them before they could respond. If she went for the guns, there's a good chance she'd get shot in the process. Time was running out, and she had to work fast.

"You insinuatin' somethin'?" Papyrus demanded to know, as her words seemed to be targeting them.

"Sounds to me like she's callin' us stingy, brotha'." Sans gave his opinion, before he felt something running along his femur through his pants.

"I'm willin' to offer you a very fair price for your shares, more than enough for you two to retire comfortably," the spider explained herself professionally, "And yet, it's not enough."

"G-U-N, G-U-N!" Frisk screamed in her head, as she repeatedly wrote the letters in that order on the skeleton's leg with her finger.

The blue suited skelepun recognized that this was some kind of code that the human was trying to communicate with, and his mind went to work deciphering it. "Swirl, horseshoe, zigzag?" he pondered, trying to make sense of it.

"So, I have another proposition for you," the arachnid mistress proposed, resting her chin on her folded hands, "Hand over your shares, and you can continue working for me."

"G," Sans thought, finally realizing they must have been letters, "U-" The two white pupils that shined from his eye sockets vanished, replaced by a single blue iris that burned brightly in the left socket. He got the message.

"How's that sound," Muffet asked, having not noticed the alterations with Sans' eyes, "We have a deal?" Papyrus was about to answer her with a 'no', but was cut off by his smaller brother speaking some unknown dialect. "Beg pardon?" their guest questioned, not comprehending what he'd spoken. However, Paps understood him, and that's why the two brothers drew their own firearms beneath the table as well.

Frisk's head only sunk down towards the floor, realizing she was trapped in the middle of a possibly shoot out.

"I said, what happens if we say no," the smiling skeleton replied, his eye glowing brighter, "Ya gonna use them pea shooters on us?" Muffet was shocked to discover she'd been figured out, but tried to play it cool.

"Pea shooters," she repeated questioningly, "I've no idea what you're talkin' about."

"The one's ya got pointed at us right now," Papyrus insisted, "The ones under the table."

She didn't know how they did it, but they'd uncovered her leverage and no doubt had their own to counter it. "Seems to me we've reached a stalemate." Paps spoke what they all must've been thinking.

"Seems we have." the spider lady agreed, brushing a few stray hairs from her face.

"Here's the deal," Sans began, "You're gonna put your guns away and skitter back to whatever hole you came from."

"It must've been a pleasant one, given your overall demeanor." Papyrus commented.

"Who says you're in any position to be demanding anything," Muffet scoffed, "Last I checked, I have just as many guns as you."

"With one more pointed at you than either of us do." the prideful skeleton added, smirking. Those odds concerned the six-armed dame, but she was quite cunning and crafty when it came to sticky situations.

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to grease me, boys." she sighed, taking another drag of her cigarette. Her purple eyes scanned the diner, locking onto the burning man cleaning a glass behind the bar.

"If that's your final answer." Sans said, shrugging.

Frisk covered her ears, knowing that things were about to get really loud.

"Oh, but before you do that," Muffet held up a finger, her guns now aimed at Grillby, "You might wanna say goodbye to 'hot stuff' over there." That struck a cord with the two brothers.

"Leave him outta this!" Sans warned a bit of malice in his tone.

"Or what," Muffet taunted, a cackle in her voice, "You'll shoot me? Go ahead, it won't save your buddy!" Both skeletons had their fingers on the triggers of their guns, ready to squeeze at a drop of a hat. However, inner conflict was stirred up in them, realizing the risk of following through. Sans glanced at Papyrus, and Papyrus glanced back and sighed. They simultaneously eased their fingers off the triggers, knowing that the spider had made checkmate. A sadistic grin came across her face.

Frisk glanced up to see the two skeletons setting their guns down beside them and bringing their hands over the table, clearly having been defeated. That spelled bad news for them, as well as her.

"And here it could've all been so simple," Ms. Muffet informed, taking a slow sip of her drink, "Just do what I say, and take the money."

"Ya should know that nothin's simple with us." the comic remarked, his eyes having returned to normal.

"Sans, if ever there was a time ya should stop talkin', it'd be now." Papyrus advised, not wanting to eliminate any possibility of escape.

"Can I just say one more thing before you do what ya gotta do?" his brother requested.

"By all means." Muffet agreed, grinning triumphantly. She expected him to beg, plead for mercy for his and his brother's pathetic lives. But, knowing him, it was likely to be another one of his stupid puns. Neither mattered, the final result would be the same: two piles of bones for the dogs to fight over.

"Hey, Undyne, how's it goin'?" Sans greeted an approaching patron. The spider lady's blood ran cold, spotting the navy blue clad woman out of the corner of her eyes.

"Boys," the aquatic woman greeted the two skelebrothers casually, her eye turning to Muffet, "Ms. Muffet, awful long way from Hotland." Intimidation radiated from the red haired, one eyed, fish gal, who waved the smoke from Muffet's cigarette out of her face. Muffet was quick to extinguish the cigarette in her drink, not wanting to offend the larger monster.

"I was just handling some business in the Ruins, and stopped in for a drink." she explained, smiling nervously. She glanced over at the two brothers, who were smirking confidently. Though, Sans was always like that, so it was harder for her to tell with him.

"She actually just made us an offer to buy us out." Papyrus informed, winking at Muffet, whose heart raced in response.

"Oh really?" Undyne asked, rather suspicious of the arachnid.

"But, after discussing it a bit, Ms. Muffet decided that Grillby's wasn't what she was lookin' for," Sans continued, "Right?" Muffet knew the tables had been turned and now the ball was in their court. Preferring the option where she'd walk out of there in one piece, she decided to play along.

"The location is good for traffic, but the consumer market isn't right for it," she explained, slipping the hidden pistols back into her coin purse, "Guess I'll just have to try elsewhere."

"Probably for the best," Undyne commented, turning and sitting on the edge of the table, "Would've hated to see this place go. The ol' man used to bring me here when I was a guppy."

"Well, I better get goin'," Muffet insisted anxiously, trying to scoot her way out of the booth, "It's gettin' late, and my employees are probably wonderin' where I am."

"Before ya go," the fish monster stopped her with an arm stretched out in her path, "It's a good thing I caught ya here, it'll save me a trip. I'm gonna need yer tribute for this month."

"Why, of course," she responded timidly, two of her hands opening her coin purse again, "And how is Mr. Dreemurr these days?"

"Mindin' his own business," Undyne answered, clearly not in the mood for small talk, "Ya should probably do the same."

"Duly noted," the spider mistress agreed, pulling a small bundled up sack from her purse and handing it to the opposing monster, "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"No problem, I'll walk you out." the other woman added, standing from his sitting position. Ms. Muffet was certainly not going to object to her offer, fearing any consequences that would come of it. "Later, boneheads." Undyne bid the two farewell.

"Good evenin', Undyne!" Papyrus returned.

"Later!" Sans added.

"Au revoir, squelettes!" Muffet waved, peering back with a spiteful expression on her face.

The human watched as the fish lady escorted the spider lady away from their table, stopping at the table where the pack of dogs sat.

"Hey, fleabags!" Undyne roared, causing the whole establishment to fall silent. The dogs seemed to cower at her voice, whimpering rather audibly. "Get yer furry asses up, we got work to do!" she ordered. The five dogs scrambled to the their feet and scampered at the door, their superior and Muffet following behind. Seeing that the situation had finally been defused, a great sigh of relief left Frisk's lungs.


	7. 15:33

**15:33**

"You can come out now, coast's clear."

Frisk obeyed Sans and crawled out from underneath the booth, the ordeal having left her both physically and mentally exhausted. She didn't want to be there anymore, she just wanted to go back to Ms. Toriel's. To get away from these hijinks and deadly encounters.

"Quick thinkin' there, kiddo," the comedian praised, "Ya really saved our guts."

"I'm 19." Frisk grumbled, ignoring the question of whether or not skeleton's even had guts.

"Sans' right." Papyrus agreed.

"I'm on a roll today." the aforementioned brother commented, feeling proud of himself.

"I knew I made the right choice in recruitin' ya into our trio," the red clad skeleton remarked, "Not even an hour in, and ya already proved your resourcefulness!" Not even an hour in, and she wanted out. This wasn't the life style she was cut out for, she wasn't a gangster like these two. No matter how over the top wacky they may have seemed, they were still a couple of skilled criminals. Who knew what they were truly capable of?

Today had been pretty traumatic.

"Don't let that web head get under your skin," Sans assured, sensing the change in the girl's attitude, "As far as we're concerned, that's over and done with."

"That's nice," the young girl mumbled, not convinced that that was true, "I'm gonna go now."

"Go," Paps questioned, sounding a bit disappointed by the human's dismissal, "But you only just got here!"

"'Bout an hour ago." his shorter brother reminded him.

"I'm really tired," Frisk insisted, which wasn't too far from the truth, "I need to go to bed."

"Oh," Papyrus responded, a bit down, "Well, I guess that's reasonable."

"How comes they get a pass, but I don't?" Sans asked, feeling that his brother was being biased.

"'Cause you're always nappin', ya lazy bones!" the dramatic skeleton yelled dramatically.

"Ya don't know that they don't." his brother informed, cheekily.

"Why must everything be an argument with you?" Papyrus complained.

"It is not." Sans replied.

"You're doin' it right now!" the irate bones pointed out, growing more frustrated the more his sibling spoke. Seeing that the two were gonna be preoccupying each other for sometime, Frisk took the opportunity to make her exit.

"Thanks, brotha', glad ya noticed my improvement." the funny bones chuckled, turning the other's words against him.

"How 'bout improvin' some more by shuttin' the fuck up?" Papyrus strongly urged, holstering his gun. He prayed internally for the strength to not use the weapon on his aggravating brother, who he loved despite his ludicrous ways. However, not everybody did, and that scared him. He couldn't stand the idea of Sans cracking one too many jokes and upsetting a guy. He was so small and frail, it wouldn't take much for some brute to get pissed off by Sans' shenanigans and end up crushing him.

It was times like these when he missed when his brother was serious.

"Hey, where'd the kid go?" Sans asked, gaining his brother's immediate attention.

"What," Paps looked around frantically, but couldn't find a trace of Frisk anywhere, "Ah, dangit, Sans, look what ya did! I didn't even get a chance to tell 'em when and where to meet!"

"Sorry, Paps." he apologized, scooting the plate of ketchup covered fries away. At this point, the fries just fell apart when he tried to pick them up, leaving him with nothing but a soggy pile of sugary tomato paste and mushed potatoes.

"It's fine," the slender brother groaned, standing and grabbing a brown fedora he left hanging on a nearby coat rack, "We'll just regroup back here tomorrow, and hopefully she'll show up."

"Good idea." the comic remarked, standing and grabbing his hat from a lower rung of the rack.

"Of course it is, I thought of it!" Papyrus retorted, pulling out a leather coin pouch. He unzipped it and dumped out several gold pieces into his hand, strolling over to Grillby at the bar. "Mr. Grillby, I hope this'll be enough to cover our bill?"

"More than enough, Papyrus, thank you." Grillby assured, accepting the gold.

"If itsy bitsy skitters back in here, let us know," Sans said, while his brother was already leaving the establishment, "We'll bring down the rain."

"Will do," Grillbs agreed, handing the gold back to the small skeleton, "I'll put it on your tab."

"Take it easy, Grillbs." Sans chuckled, pocketing the money and following his brother.

"See ya tomorrow, Sans." the flaming man ensured, knowing his friend's daily routine. Upon leaving the diner, Sans found his brother waiting.

"If she wasn't in such a hurry, I would've given her a lift." Papyrus commented, as him and Sans wondered over to his parked red 1959 Cadillac Convertible.

"Probably doesn't live far from here." Sans suggested.

"Can you believe it, Sans," his brother giggled with glee, climbing into the driver's seat, "A human; an actual human, in our crew!"

"Who would've thunk?" the grinning skeleton hopped into the passenger side, leaning the seat back and pulling his hat down over his eyes.

"I tell ya, brotha', our luck is finally turning' arou-" Papyrus stopped upon discovering a parking ticket tucked underneath his windshield wipers, snatching it off and looking at the 510g cost, "N'oh, Dammit!" He crumpled up the ticket and tossed it into the backseat, rather annoyed now. He started the car and immediately screeched off down the road, clearly having no regard for safe drive.

Though she was several blocks away by now, Frisk could hear the echoes of the screeching tires back from where she'd come from. For a moment, she almost feared that it was the two chasing after her, but felt relieved when they grew quiet in the peaceful night. It wasn't going to take her long to get back to Toriel's, she had a good sense of direction. When she got there, she would go back to sleep and forget any of this ever happened. She might even eat that pie she'd left. She'd been so preoccupied with finding Napstablook, that she forgot she hadn't ea-

"Crap!" she cursed, looking down at the stereo she still carried. In all the commotion, she'd gotten sidetracked and wasn't the least bit closer to finding the missing ghost. She'd went through all of that for nothing. "You're such an idiot!" She repeatedly bashed her forehead with the audio device, but not hard enough to impose any damage to it or herself.

There was nothing more she could do but hang her head in defeat, dragging her feet as she ventured back to her new home. She only hoped that Napstablook would happen to swing back by sometime so that she could return his property. Until then, she'd just have to put it away and keep it safe. She figured the wardrobe in her room would do just nicely, just as long as she got it there in one piece. Having thought that part she now worried that she'd just jinxed herself.

However, her superstitious concerns dwindled away moments later, when she'd arrived back to the bookstore. Still, no sign of the melancholy spirit, not that she really expected to see him again so soon. With the door still being unlocked, she quietly snuck back up to the apartment; making sure to lock both doors behind her.

"My child?"

Frisk's heart leaped in her chest upon hearing the goat lady's voice break the silence, turning around quickly to face her. Ms. Tori stood in the darkened hallway, dressed in a nightgown (the color of which being unknown due to the darkness). It was hard to make out, but her face seemed to show both a concerned and confused expression.

"Is everything alright?" the tender hearted monster asked her.

"Y-yeah, of course." the human girl stuttered her words out, giving an assuring smile.

"What do you have there?" the goat lady moved to the next question, now referring to the stereo in Frisk's hands rather curiously.

"Well, I was woken up by this strange music coming from outside," she began to explain her story, knowing she was going to leave out most of the details, "When I went to check it out, I found a ghost playing music on this thing. I guess I scared him off, and he forgot it."

"Frisk, you should never open the door in the middle of the night around here." Ms. Tori corrected her mistake, realizing how much worse it could've been, "Let alone leave the house! Especially if you hear something strange!"

"I-I'm sorry," Frisk quickly apologized, not wanting to upset her hostess on her first night, "It won't happen again, ma'am."

"It's alright," Toriel accepted her apology, though it wasn't really called for, "The next time anything 'strange' happens, let me know first and I'll investigate it. Lord only knows what it could've been."

"Tell me about it." the human thought, remembering back to the spider girl at Grillby's.

"Do you need anything before I go back to bed," Tori asked, "A glass of water? A snack? Maybe a bedtime story?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Frisk answered, smiling warmly in appreciation.

"Alright then, goodnight, my child." the monster bid her, turning and heading back to her room.

"Night, mom."

Both of them were taken aback by that, as an awkward silence fell over them. Frisk didn't know why she'd said it, it just came out. Almost as if out of instinct.

"M-mom," Ms. Tori repeated the word, her heart fluttering in her chest, "Is that what you'd prefer to call me? Mom?" The young brunette wanted to dismiss this as a simple slip of the tongue, but the tone in the goat's voice made her reconsider. It sounded hopeful, joyous, flattered; kind of like she'd received compliment. Maybe she did mean to say it, it surely didn't feel wrong in the slightest.

"Y-yeah." she confirmed, shrugging slightly in a 'why not' manner (not that Toriel could see it with her back turned). A small laugh came from the white furred monster, as she continued to her room.

"Sleep well, my child." Ms. Tori said, before disappearing into her room. And like that, Frisk was alone again, feeling content with her decision. Although excitement had shaken her awake so many times that night, the urge to sleep always seemed to overwhelm her soon after. Thank god she had that bed to alleviate that urge, and she sought to take full advantage of it. For the time being, she sat the stereo on the shelf in her room, and kicked off her shoes again.

Hopping into bed, she pulled the warm cover over herself, feeling the kind of comfort she hadn't experienced in oh so long. Her mind reflected on her very first day in the Underground, and all the madness she'd dealt with so far. Being jumped by Flowey, rescued and welcomed in by Ms. Toriel, scaring off Napstablook, meeting the two skeleton brothers, almost being caught in the middle of a shoot out; it just wasn't her day. Sure, Sans and Papyrus seemed like a couple of swell guys, hilarious even. But, if tonight was a testament of anything, it's that the lives they lived only seemed to spell out trouble.

She'd have to avoid Snowdin, avoid confrontation with the brothers-

"Dammit!" Frisk cursed beneath her breath, remembering how Sans and Tori were apparently an item.

"Wait."

"Ms. Tori?"

"Boss?"

"Oh my god!"

* * *

"Sans, if you're gonna be unboxin' some of this junk, don't just leave it strewn about the floor!" Papyrus ranted, stepping over the large opened boxes he had neatly organized. The keyword being 'had', as his brother had once again made a mess of things in their garage of a home.

"Gotcha." Sans answered, clearly not paying any attention to the other skeleton. He sat at a work desk, flipping through pages of an old photo album.

"What're ya even doin'?" his brother asked, both out of curiosity and suspicion. He stripped off his daily attire down to his under shirt and boxers, preparing for bed.

"Just thought I l'd take a trip down memory lane." the comic answered.

"Well, I guess there's no harm in that," Papyrus dismissed, grabbing a blanket and climbing in the back of his convertible., "Just be careful of paper cuts."

"Rememberin' the past can be pretty painful." Sans retorted wittingly.

"I only have myself to blame for that one," Paps sighed, laying his head and and his eyes sockets closing, "Goodnight, brotha'."

"Night, brotha'." his brother returned, flipping through more pages. He stopped when he got to one page in particular, one of several monsters gathered together at a dinner table. If he was remembering things correctly, it was a birthday party. The boss monster, Mr. Dreemurr, playing a couple hands with the old geezer, Gerson. That lovely beauty they call Toriel, resting her head on her husbands shoulder. His old man was standing behind the tortoise, giving hand signals to help his boss cheat. And there he was sitting with the birthday boy.

And her. The pink faced cutie that held rabbit ears over the young goat's head; the one with the rosy cheeks and a smile that melted heart. A smile that inspired hope in every monster in the underground.

A smile that hid a multitude of sins.

"Hey there, ol' buddy, long time, no see."


	8. 62:5

**62:5**

When Frisk had woken up for a third time, it was finally morning and the room was illuminated by the sunlight peering through the window. Well, daytime, at least; she had no idea what time it was. What she did know is that she felt much more well rested than she had before, and that her nose felt far more sensitive than it did when she fell asleep. It had to be bruised, she just knew it. The very notion of going around town with a busted up nose wasn't all too pleasant to her, but she figured that maybe Toriel would have some foundation to cover it up. Oh wait, no she wouldn't, would she? What with the fur and all.

Idiot.

She'd just have to figure something else out; for now, she needed a bath. She found the pink tiled bathroom at the end of the hall, and locked the door behind her. Go figure, Ms. Tori only had a shower. After turning the water on to heat up, Frisk looked at her reflection in the mirror. Sure enough, a fine stripe of purple and black crossed her nose, with a bit of redness outlining the edges thereof. Not pretty to look at, but it could've been far worse. She's lucky it wasn't broken. She pulled the mirror open to reveal a medicine cabinet inside, which only contained a box of Band-Aids in it.

"Well, that's just peachy." the brunette grumbled, closing the cabinet back. The steam fogging up the mirror signaled that the water was finally hot enough, so she stripped her clothes off and climbed into the stream of the awaiting shower. She could feel the water wash away the layers of grease and filth from her body; cleansing not only her body, but her conscience as well. However, she knew water wasn't going to be enough, so her eyes scanned the shelves of the shower for bathing products.

Luckily, she found a bar of soop. Wait, what? Soop? Sure enough, printed on the soapy bar was the word 'SOOP' Was it a typo? It definitely smelled like soap, and lathered her hands up like soap. Was it a brand name? Frisk was thinking too long and too hard about the branding of hygiene products, so she just turned her focus back to cleaning herself with the soop. After washing away the soapy-soopy foam, she looked to a hot pink bottle that had sat next to the soop bar.

It featured some sort of cartoon robot head with neon pink eyes and suds coverings his hair. He looked handsome for a robot, and gave off this extremely flamboyant vibe.

"MTT Brand Fabulously Fabulous Smelling Product of Fabulousness!"

Looking below the bold, glittering, label, she read the description of the product.

"Exfoliating Shampoop and Conditioner."

Okay, so it definitely wasn't a branding label, these were the products themselves. Although rightfully hesitant to use the product, the soop was enough to convince her that it was safe. She popped open the lid and squeezed a milky, purple colored, gel into her hand, bringing it to her nose to get a whiff of it.

It was shampoo. It smelled fabulous.

Having no more concerns, Frisk used the mislabeled gel to lather up her long hair. After rinsing it clean, her shower was over. She stepped out onto the conveniently placed rug outside of the shower, grabbing an off white towel from a nearby rack and using it to dry off. A towel that was probably twice the size of the average bath towel, but Ms. Toriel was a big lady. She felt rejuvenated, fresh, and ready to start her second day in the Underground. She couldn't imagine what it had in store for her, hopefully better things than her first.

And it was already off to a bad start, as the young human girl only just remembered that she didn't have a change of clothes. And here she had just went through the trouble of getting cleaned up, only to have no other choice but to wear the same clothes she'd worn the day before. Actually, having thought about it, she'd worn them the day prior to yesterday. The more she thought about her clothes, the worse it got. There was no way she was putting them back on; at least, not until they'd been washed. That being said, what then would she wear?

After wrapping herself up in the oversized towel, she creaked open the bathroom door.

"Mom?" Frisk called out, listening for a response. But, none came; Ms. Tori must've been downstairs in her bookstore. Seeing that the coast was clear, she scurried quickly back to her room, closing the door behind her to avoid another awkward situation. She figured she'd sit there and wait for Ms. Tori, hopefully she'd have something to help her out with. God only knows how long that was gonna take.

Her eyes happened to catch sight of the stereo that still sat out on the empty bookshelf, reminding her that she'd meant to put it away in the wardrobe. Grabbing it, she opened the wardrobe, but found it remarkably packed full of clothes. Whole ensembles hanging together filled the rack; each consisting of either a jacket or vest, dress shirt, either neck or bow tie, and either dress pants or skirt. Frisk had to admit, this was just a tad bit unsettling. All these clothes being here, when Toriel had said that she lived alone.

Were they hers? No, they were much too small to be hers, reiterating just how massive Ms. Tori was. They looked like they were about the human girl's size, which was now more alarming than unsettling. And why was most of it green and yellow stripes? Weird. But, these weren't questions she wanted to answer while in the nude, so she went through and picked out something to wear. Seeing that she didn't what to wear the same undies she'd had on (and there wasn't any in the wardrobe), she went with an outfit that incorporated a jacket and some pants.

She managed to find the one outfit that didn't consist of any green or yellow in the whole wardrobe. An eggplant purple jacket with matching pants, a white dress shirt, a purple tie with blue stripes, and surprisingly a pair of dress socks and black dress shoes. Just as she'd thought, all of it fit her perfectly, even down to the shoe size. Well, the pants were a bit loose around the waist, but she couldn't find a belt to fix that problem. She couldn't help but notice her reflection in a mirror that was on the inside of the wardrobe.

"Snazzy!" the brunette thought contently, posing her body in many different positions to get a better look at herself. She'd never dressed this way before, couldn't afford to. She was lucky to have what she had to wear, and that was only after raking and scraping. She wondered how much this cost. It wasn't cheap dressing this good, that's for sure. She almost looked like the two skelebro- oh, right.

She'd almost forgotten the shocking revelation from last night's outing. Not only did Ms. Tori associate with gangsters, but from what she heard Sans say before, she was one herself. High enough to even be called "Boss", and she wasn't sure whether that was good or bad. Frisk had heard things about mob bosses, they didn't get their way to the top just because they were so likable. Many of them had to do some horrible things to get there.

But, Ms. Tori was so kind and caring, how could she have been a gangster? The way she handled Flowey though, she seemed to turn into a completely different person. Was her sweetness all just an act, some kind of elaborate ruse to con her?

"No."

"Never."

Frisk repented for ever entertaining something so ludicrously false. Regardless of her past, Toriel was a virtuous woman at heart, who came and rescued her in her time of need. Who was even generous enough to take her in and care for her. And she was going to repay her for all of it, somehow. The human girl had been so caught up in her own thoughts, she hadn't realized that she was instinctively brushing her hair in the bathroom mirror.

And at that point, her hair was the least of her concerns, as her eyes couldn't stop focusing on her bruised nose. It was going to make her feel self conscious all day, knowing that it'd draw some unwanted attention. The redness wasn't too noticeable, if only she had something to cover up the purple and black stripe.

"Band-Aids?" she pondered, remembering the box hidden behind the mirror. Sure, it didn't make it any less obvious, but it would've been more desirable to look at than a nasty bruise. So, she applied one over the bruised area, instantly feeling relieved. Coupled with the suit she was sporting, she felt the Band-Aid added a level of menace to her character. Made her feel more like a ruffian, ready to scrap with anyone talking smack about their mother.

Who was she kidding? A dandelion was more intimidating than her.

"That doesn't seem like a fair assessment." Frisk said to herself, sure that she was thinking to lowly of herself. Nevertheless, it was true, she couldn't hurt a fly. "Emotionally, maybe?" Now, she was just being silly, and really needed to focus on more important things. "No, I want to focus on this," Frisk argued pointlessly with herself, "I know you're not my inner thoughts!"

What?

"You're not foolin' anyone," the human girl proclaimed confidently, "I know you're not my inner thoughts."

She obviously didn't realize how crazy she sounded.

"Sure, you had me fooled from the moment I woke up here, but I figured ya out at Grillby's." she explained her reasoning.

Everything she'd experienced up until this point had dissolved her sanity, and she was divulging into madness. She needed to get a grip of herself before it was too late.

"That right there," the girl pointed out, "You keep making things seem worse than they actually are! I noticed that at the diner last night, when I was talking to Sans and Papyrus. When Papyrus went for the crossword puzzle, you convinced me he was going for a gun."

Convinced you? You heard what he said before reaching in his jacket, why wouldn't it be a gun?

"I saw his gun holstered around his waist." Frisk answered the monologue.

What?

"That time when he got in my face, I saw his gun at his waist when Sans pulled him back. That's why I didn't question the idea of a gun the second you suggested it to me. That's when I started paying attention though, and I noticed that you have quite the negative outlook. Not to mention you keep insulting me and treating me like a kid. It feels like you're trying to make everything seem scarier than it actually is."

Or, you're naive and require instruction from your subconscious.

"If you were my subconscious, you would be encouraging me to join the skeleton brothers. I'm actually far more adventurous than I look. In fact, you don't really know that much about me, do you?"

Of course I do.

"Oh yeah, what's my name?"

Frisk.

"Frisk what?"

The Human?

"Where am I from?"

The Surface.

"What year is my birthday?"

Every year.

"Like I said, you don't know squat!"

I-

"Come on, no more games! Just tell me who you are!"

...

"Well?"

...

"What, is it the silent treatment now?"

Wing Din.

"What?"

My name is Wing Din.


End file.
